


Chances Are... I've Moved On

by that_fandomlife



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Feels, Cats, Heavy Angst, M/M, Matureish themes, Past Relationship(s), Reunions, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_fandomlife/pseuds/that_fandomlife
Summary: “I never stood a chance, did I?”“That’s the sad part. You did once.”Aka Mingyu sees his ex-lover, Minghao, for the first time in years. Of course, being the idiot in love that he is, he decides to take his chances and speak with him once again.





	Chances Are... I've Moved On

**Author's Note:**

> I needed some inspiration for writing (since I've had writer's block for a while now), so I looked up some prompts. the dialogue in the description came up, and then I put this together in a couple of hours. 
> 
> Not fully proofread, oops. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Mingyu knew that his life was a boring routine.

Wake up, make breakfast, go to work, go to meetings, then go home and eat before spending the night by himself before going to sleep.

Sometimes, his friend, Soonyoung, would ask him if he wanted to hang out, but he preferred not to because it often meant that Jihoon would be with him, and Mingyu often didn't feel like third-wheeling. On a rare occasion, if they were feeling spontaneous, they went to the club, and Mingyu knew not to go back there, not after what he’d gone through in the past. He knew better than to trigger it all over again.

Other nights, he would hang out with Seokmin and watch movies while eating takeout. He liked nights that were like that.

The cycle repeated, and it had been repeating for the past year. He almost wished that something strange and out of the ordinary would happen, something to bring him out of his routine. At least _then_ he’d have something interesting to share at his weekly support group meetings rather than the conversation he and his co-worker, Jeonghan, had about the quality in different brands of hair dye.

But as people, specifically his friends, have said to him, he should be careful what he wished for.

On a Tuesday night, he was getting ready to leave for work when he received a call from his roommate, Wonwoo.

He put down his messenger bag before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his buzzing phone. He saw Wonwoo's ID picture on the screen as well as his name.

He slid the green button across the screen before he brought the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mingyu. Did you leave work yet?”

“I’m about to leave now, why?”

“Oh, good,” Wonwoo said, “Could you stop by the pet store and pick up some cat food for Raven?”

Mingyu groaned. In truth, he didn’t want to. He was tired. His meetings seemed to drag on, and his team didn’t seem to know how to do their jobs today. He just wanted to go home and not think about how frustrating and messy work was today.

(Plus, getting food for a cat named Raven. He didn’t understand why Wonwoo named his cat after another animal. He knew it was after some work a dead writer named Edger Allen Poe wrote, but he didn’t know or care much to understand Wonwoo’s reasoning behind it.)

“You can’t go tomorrow or something?”

“I’m literally out of cat food, Mingyu. You know how Raven gets when he’s hungry. Plus, the exam is getting closer and closer with each day that passes. I’ve basically moved into the library now. I need to spend every waking minute studying for this damn exam.”

Mingyu sighed. He knew he couldn’t do that to Wonwoo, since he was already putting in hours upon hours studying for this exam so he could get into law school.

“Okay, fine.”

“Thanks so much, Mingyu. Just get the brand I usually get.”

“Okay. You owe me.”

He heard Wonwoo laugh.

“Okay, whatever. I’ll see you at home.”

“See you.”

He brought the phone away before he hung up. He walked towards the exit and outside into the parking lot. He walked towards his car, climbed in, and started the engine. Instead of taking his usual route back to his and Wonwoo’s apartment, he drove to another part of town to a specific pet store he knew Wonwoo liked to get his cat food and toys.

Once he parked, he walked inside and was greeted by a cashier. He went to the cat food aisle and looked for the brand Wonwoo usually bought.

Once he found the brand, he walked over to the cashier. She bagged the food as he paid for the bag of food. He walked outside, heading towards his car, but someone caught his eye.

He looked at the coffee shop that was next to the pet store. He looked into the window and saw someone typing on a laptop.

He looked familiar, with his brown hair styled into a side part. He wore a striped, black and white long sleeve. His brown eyes were focused on the screen.

Mingyu knew that face, even after years of not seeing him.

Without hesitation, he walked inside, hearing the bell ring. Without walking to the counter, he went straight to where the man was sitting.

He walked over to the table.

“Minghao?”

He watched as the man stopped typing and looked up from his laptop. His eyes widened.

“Mingyu?”

“H-Hey,” Mingyu replied, “Can I sit?”

Minghao thought for a moment before he nodded. Mingyu then pulled the chair out across from him and sat down. He put the plastic bag on the ground next to him before he faced Minghao.

“You still live around here?” Minghao asked.

“Yeah. I went to school here and graduated here. I got a job offer, so I figured I stay in Seoul,” Mingyu replied.

“Oh. It’s good to hear that you’re working. You show up daily, I assume?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Mingyu gave Minghao a small smile before Minghao looked back down at his computer screen and started typing again. The tension in the air was thick, and Mingyu debated on just walking out and pretending he never saw Minghao. It wouldn't be a bad idea; in fact, it was probably the best idea, because even he couldn’t exactly figure out why he decided to talk to Minghao in the first place. He knew of their history, and by any chance, Minghao shouldn’t want to talk to him; Mingyu almost wanted to stand up and leave, but if he knew himself, he knew he always took his chances, even if the odds were against him.

Eventually, he was pulled out of his thoughts because Minghao sighed. Mingyu watched as Minghao stopped typing and looked up and Mingyu.

“Why are you here, Mingyu?” Minghao asked.

“I... I wanted to talk to you,” Mingyu replied, “I missed you.”

“Mingyu, how can you? It’s been four years since I left. How could you-”

“I never stopped thinking about you or missing you, not even after you left.”

Minghao stopped talking and thought for a moment. Mingyu assumed he was trying to think of the right words to say.

“Mingyu... please don’t say that. It’ll be-”

“Hao, listen,” Mingyu interrupted, “Are you back in Seoul, for real?”

Minghao hesitated.

“Just... Just for this week. Then I’m heading back to China,” Minghao answered.

Mingyu thought for a moment.

“Oh... okay. Well, the time might be short but... but I was wondering if you wanted to go... out... some time,” Mingyu said.

Minghao furrowed his eyebrows.

“Mingyu-”

“I’ll have time after work, so I could take you out somewhere-”

“Mingyu-”

“It's just been a while and I just thought that-”

“ _Mingyu_ , I have a _boyfriend_.”

Mingyu’s voice faded away as he felt his heart shatter in his chest. The thoughts, the words he had planned to say to Minghao for all the years that’d gone by, suddenly fluttered away. They became jumbled in his head.

Minghao, his breathing now heavy, became calm again. He looked away, as if facing Mingyu was too much for him.

“I’m here with my boyfriend,” Minghao said in a soft voice.

Mingyu, his words still jumbled, tried to form sentences in his head.

“W-What?”

“Yeah. He’s a businessman taking over his father’s company. He had to meet with the Korea branch about something, so we came here together, as a business trip and as a vacation.”

Minghao must have noticed to pained look on his face because he spoke up again.

“Gyu-”

“Hao, please don't.”

What was once endearing now pained him. Minghao only called him Gyu, and it was only used with affection. Hearing Minghao had moved on and still called him Gyu seemed to mock him for still being in love with Minghao.

“I-I don’t understand,” Mingyu said, “You... you moved on, after everything we went through?”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice,” Minghao answered.

“But we struggled through high school and our first year of college together, Hao. We struggled with school and our identities together. We figured out who we were because of each other. We only had each other after everyone found out. You meant to tell me you moved on and dated someone else, after the shit storm high school and college was for the both of us, after all of the things you've said to me?”

“Gyu, it’s not like that.”

“Then what was it like? Did you never love me with the same intensity I did for you? Was this one-sided the entire time? Have I been living my life all of these years, believing we would end up being together, only to hear you didn’t actually give a fuck about me anymore, or even at all?”

Mingyu bitterly scoffed.

“I never stood a chance, did I?” Mingyu asked.

Minghao sadly laughed.

“That’s the sad part. You did... once.”

Minghao took a deep breath.

“I was in love with you at one point, Gyu... when I first got here and years after that. You helped me understand the language. You helped me adjust. You took care of me when I felt like I was alone. You made me feel wanted when I felt like the world didn’t care about me.”

Minghao sighed.

“And then your dad was exposed for everything he hid from everyone. You changed. You stopped caring about your life and, ultimately, yourself. You ditched class, you hung out with a bad crowd, you got hooked onto the drugs and the alcohol. Hell... Gyu, you tried to take advantage of me that one time you came over blackout drunk. If my uncle hadn’t stepped in... who knows if I’d even want to talk to you now.”

“But... I’m better now, Hao.”

Minghao looked up at Mingyu with a small smile.

“I know. Your mom kept me updated. She told me how she sent you to rehab. She told me how you worked hard to get back on your feet and get into a university, which you did. She told me you even graduated with honors. I was incredibly proud of you, Gyu.”

"Is she still updating you now?" Mingyu asked.

Minghao paused, the smile fading from his face.

"About two years ago... after I went back to China, I met Jun, and we got along really well. I eventually fell in love with him. Since Jun and I were starting to become more serious about our relationship status, I asked her to stop updating me about you and just asked that she'd watch out for you and take care of you. I was moving on, and I didn't want to keep hanging on to the past.”

Minghao paused again.

“I know you’re better now, and I’m happy that you turned your life around,” he continued, “But... you’re four years too late. I can't start anything new with you, not when I have Jun and the rest of my life planned out." 

“Would things have been different if you decided to stay? Would things have been different if you decided to wait for me?”

“That’s the thing... I don’t know. Whether I decided to stay or not... I don’t know if it would’ve changed anything.”

Minghao took a shaky breath.

“I just... I knew I couldn’t stay here anymore, not after I saw what you had become,” Minghao replied, “It pained me to even be in Seoul. You're the one that showed me around, and you're the one showed me everything I had grown to love about the city. When your life spiraled, it’s like... everything I loved about Seoul was tainted. It reminded me too much of you and reminded me of how much pain you caused me to feel. I couldn’t be here anymore. That’s why I went back to China... to start over.”

The conversation faded because... _hell_ , how could he do that to Minghao and even live up to it after? How could he hurt his loving, _precious_ Minghao and leave him in so much pain? How could he scar Minghao like that? He could understand why Minghao left him behind. He knew Minghao deserved much better than him, but Mingyu couldn’t help but continue to yearn for him.

He couldn’t help but think that... if he had stayed sane after his father was locked up, Minghao might still be in love with him and might even be with him now.

Now, he was four years too late: four years too late to say an apology, four years late to make things right, four years too late to tell Minghao what he meant to him.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Mingyu said in a whisper.

Minghao stayed silent in reply.

“I’m not lying when I say that I was in love with you," Minghao eventually said, "but... but that was in the past. It’s been four years since we happened. I mourned for you and for what your life had become, but I had to move on. I couldn’t be in love with someone that wouldn’t be good for me. I wasn’t going to do that to myself, and I can’t do that to myself now.” 

Before Mingyu could reply, the bell hanging above the door rang. Minghao looked over Mingyu as Mingyu turned around. He watched as someone stepped into the coffee shop. He was wearing a crisp, black suit with matching black dress shoes. His silver hair was styled up. He walked over to the two before he pulled a chair up to Minghao and sat down; Mingyu watched as he wrapped his arm around Minghao’s waist, making Mingyu feel like the world had stopped moving around him.

“Hey, babe,” the man said.

Minghao smiled up at him as he kissed Minghao’s temple. Mingyu could feel the pain of jealousy fill his chest.

“How was your meeting?” Minghao asked.

“The meeting went well, but then I remembered that the food I packed for Xiaohu ran out, so I stopped at the pet store. They didn’t have the cat food I wanted to buy, so I just left.”

“I don’t think now’s a time to be picky about what food you want your cat to eat,” Minghao said.

“Just because we’re in Korea doesn’t mean I change how I treat and take care of Xiaohu. He deserves the best,” Jun replied.

“But still,I told you not to bring Xiaohu. Your cat eats too much. No way the food you packed would’ve lasted the entire week,” Minghao chided.

“Xiaohu'spart of the family. I was not going to leave him behind,” the man replied.

Minghao scoffed and rolled his eyes before he kissed the man’s forehead.

“You’re lucky I love you enough to let you bring your lazy cat with us,” Minghao teased.

He smiled before he turned to see Mingyu sitting across them.

“Oh, who’s this?” The man asked Minghao.

Minghao turned to Mingyu before turning back to the man.

“Oh, this is Mingyu. He’s a... well, old friend of mine. We were just... catching up,” Minghao said, turning back to Mingyu, “Mingyu, this is Jun, my boyfriend.”

Jun smiled at him.

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Jun said, sticking his hand out.

Mingyu looked at Jun’s hand before he hesitantly reached his hand out and shook Jun’s hand with his.

“Hey.”

“Anyway, Hao, our dinner reservation is soon. Are you ready to go?” Jun asked.

“Yes, of course,” Minghao said.

He turned to Mingyu.

“I have to go, but... we’ll be in Seoul for the rest of the week. Maybe I’ll see you around?” Minghao asked.

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Mingyu replied.

Minghao gave him a small, comforting smile before he closed his laptop and put it in his messenger bag. He put on his gray jacket before he slung the messenger bag around his shoulder. Jun held his hand and led them out of the restaurant.

Mingyu watched them walk until they disappeared from his sight. After they were out of sight, he picked up the plastic bag containing the cat food and walked out of the coffee shop. He walked out towards his car. He unlocked the door and climbed in. He set the bag down in the passenger seat before he locked the doors.

It was until his forehead hit the steering wheel that the tears started to fall down his cheek; he could feel his heart shatter, as if it could do that again.

**Author's Note:**

> If there are enough requests I might write more parts to this, containing whatever you guys wanna know. You guys can decide what I write next for this.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Feedback and praises (if any?) and kudos are appreciated. (:


End file.
